Cyndee Kromminga

I have always loved old, discarded things. My fondest memories of my dad are the many junking adventures he shared with me as a child, and then on into adulthood. Weekend family outings involved attending auctions and yard sales. I don't remember my dad ever walking away empty handed. He always seemed to find a gem among the junk. His gift was acquiring items that could be used as-is or requiring only simple fixes. He was also an electrician, so he could rewire most any non-working appliance.

As I got older, making do with scarred and battered furnishings lost its appeal. Because money was scarce, re-purposing and re-imagining became a new adventure. I found I had a knack for making old, tattered things appear new again. I didn't stop at just facelifts, either; I discovered that vintage linens and old clothes were the perfect substitute for store-bought fabric. Digging through boxes of textiles at tag sales became a passion, but I never had tunnel vision. There are just too many possibilities at every tag sale, curb and (dare I say) dumpster to limit creative vision.

Since I couldn't seem to make just one of anything, I tried my hand at craft sales, vending my creations. I loved it, and my customers did, too. The rest is a blur that has snowballed into a craft business that includes designing, writing, and selling my imaginings. I have shared my design tutorials in several print magazines, books, online sites, and my own little blog, Restyled Junk. Come by and visit. Maybe we can inspire each other.

Links:

Restyled Junk
Dustyspirit on Etsy

Projects on AllFreeChristmasCrafts:

• Log Slice Gift Tag
• Log Slice Snowman Ornament
• Rustic Wood Snowman Head
• Scrap Wood Christmas Tree